HKEX launches AI and semiconductor indices with mainland ETF deal

Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEX) has launched two new thematic benchmarks covering artificial intelligence and semiconductors, pairing the indices with a licensing deal that will bring a mainland-listed exchange-traded fund tied to the AI benchmark. ¹

The HKEX Artificial Intelligence Index measures 40 Hong Kong-listed companies with exposure across the AI value chain, including chips, infrastructure, models and applications. The HKEX Semiconductor Index tracks 30 of the largest semiconductor-related companies listed in Hong Kong. Both indices are listed by HKEX as having launched on 21 October 2026, with quarterly reviews and rebalancing. ^{2 3}

The accompanying agreement with China Southern Asset Management is intended to support an ETF in mainland China that tracks the AI index. ChinaTechNews reports that HKEX Group chief information officer Leung Chung Kwong described artificial intelligence and semiconductors as major drivers of global growth and industrial change, while presenting the deal as a way to widen investment options and strengthen cross-border market links. ¹

For readers in Britain and Europe, this is less a new consumer gadget than a sign of how quickly AI infrastructure is being packaged into mainstream financial products. The indices do not make the underlying companies more valuable by themselves, but they give investors a more clearly defined way to follow Hong Kong's AI and semiconductor sectors.

Our opinion

The important development here is the combination of index creation and distribution. HKEX is not merely adding two labels to its catalogue: it is trying to connect those benchmarks to a mainland investment product. That gives the launch a practical route into the market, although the long-term significance will depend on the ETF's eventual uptake and on how the constituents perform. ^{1 2 3}